Rafał Ziemkiewicz in his not so frequently elegant kind challenged the right of PSL to mention to Vincent Witos. He wrote on the portal “X”, criticizing the words of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz: “The anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Gucwy, delight note, with Witos your organization has so much in common today, this cock and fiat.”
Apart from the rude tone, from a purely substantive point of view Ziemkiewicz one more time showed that he was a historical ignorant. Let's start with Stanislaw Gucwy, who is to service as a "black people" here, like the Polish People's Republic of Poland dignitary, being vice-president of the State Council and talker of the Sejm for many years. But before the war, since 1936, he has been active in the Association of agrarian Youth of the Republic of Poland "Wici", and during the business he worked in cooperatives and participated in the opposition movement (People's organization "Roch", Peasants Battalions, utilized the aliases Golec and Socha), served the rank of major reserve.
But don't worry about Gutva. We're curious in Vincent Witos. Did ZSL have anything to do with him? Of course he did. In the crucial period for the future of this group, which was yet created in 1949, respective close associates of Vincent Witos joined it, not accepting politics Stanisława Mikołajczykwho left Poland in 1947. It goes up to its forehead here. Władysław Kiernik (1879-1971), for many years close associate of Witos at the PSL “Piast”, head of the MMA in his government in 1923, a supporter of an alliance with National Democracy. From 1933 to 1939 he accompanied Witos on emigration in Czechoslovakia. After 1945 he remained in Poland, he was a strong opponent of Stanisław Mikołajczyk's policy. From 1947 to 1952 he was a associate of the Legislative Sejm. Furthermore, he was twice a associate of the Polish delegation for the United Nations sessions in London in 1946 and in fresh York City in 1956. From 1956 to 1966, he served as Vice president of the Society of Communications with Polonia Foreign. He was an active associate of the United People's Party, in which he served as vice president of the General Review Commission.
The second crucial figure is Jan Dębski (1889-1976). Before the war, he had been associated with PSL “Piast” (in the meantime he had connections with PSL “Deliverance”). Vice president of the Main Board of the organization from 1921 to 1931. associate of the ultimate Council of SL from 1931 to 1933. From 1919 to 1930 MP at the Sejm (Legal and 1st and 2nd term), from 1925 to 1930 his Deputy Marshal. He has besides been a associate of the ZSL since 1949. Biographer Dębski, Matthew Ratyński, writes:
"At the initiative of Czesław Wycecha in cooperation with the People's Movement past Department, a gathering was organized in August 1966, where they were present, among others. Jan Dębski, Władysław Kiernik, Stanisław Osiecki, Romuald Vasilewski, Jan Dąb-Kocioł, Anna Gadzalanka. Subsequent talks were held on 3 November 1966, during which the president of the ZSL proposed the establishment of the People's Seniors Club at the NK ZSL. The initiative was welcomed.
On 20 or 23 November 1966, the first organizational gathering of the KSRL was held, attended by about forty people. NK ZSL Secretary Sylwester Leszczykiewicz showed peculiar sympathy for seniors. Members of the elder Club included both politicians of the pre-war PSL “Piast”, PSL “Liberation”, SCh and SL, but besides “Lubelski” SL, PSL and ZSL, including Jan Dąb-Kociol, Jan Domański, Henryk Dzendzel, Teodor Kaczyński, Władysław Kiernik, Stanisław Kotek-Agroszewski, Józef Kowalczuk, Stanisław Osiecki, Michał Pankiewicz, Juliusz Poniatowski, Andrzej Waleron, Romuald Vasilewski. The first board was established, headed by Dębski, Teodor Kaczyński became vice president, secretary Romuald Vasilewski, and another members: Irena Kowalska, Jan Pawelec and Zofia Załęska. The choice of Dębski was not accidental. He enjoyed the top respect in the environment and had the full assurance of Czesław Wycecha”
He continued: “Dębski was an active guest of meetings set up in 1967 by the technological Council of the People’s Movement past Department, which brought together scholars from various investigation centres. During the meetings, he presented his own views on the interwar period and defended the “Piast” PSL policy. He showed the democratic character of Witos' party, which sought to keep parliamentary democracy in Poland and tried to defend the country from possible dictatorship (...) Activeness and good folk memory were utilized in a 1967 movie paper devoted to Witos. The material was based on the initiative of historian Stanisław Lata and contained statements by Dębski, Henryk Dzendzl and Władysław Kiernik. The information provided by the policy on the life and activities of the three-time Prime Minister was besides published in the paper developed by Jan Borkowski's publication "About Vincent Witos. Relationships and Memories” published in 1984 r.
And yet Stanisław Osiecki (1875-1967). Initially, the PSL activist Liberation switched to PSL “Piast”. Mateusz Ratyński writes: “Osiecki supported the cooperation of “pissants” with the Christian Union of Nation Unity. He was a co-founder of the Lanckoon Pact, including, above all, compromise provisions on agricultural reform. From July 27 to December 15, 1923, he held the office of Minister of the recently appointed Ministry of Agricultural improvement in the coalition government of Wincent Witos. In his role, he led extended legislative work to prepare the agricultural improvement task with its funding. He has been actively working to guarantee adequate quantity of areas intended for parcelation, land trading, or the operation of land offices." After the war at the PSL Stanislaw Mikołajczyk, after 1956 active in the Club of elder People's Movement, He took part in work to reconstruct memory of Vincent Witos.
The Polish People's Movement past Department managed to produce diaries in 1965 Ms Maciej Rataja (Wed. Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawniczna), where fragments of the conflict of Warsaw 1920 were politically incorrect at the time. It was only in the 1970s and 1980s that Wincent Witos "rehabilitation" (the creation of Jan Borkowski) took place, Witos appeared as an crucial character in 2 films: “The Deaths of the President” by Jerzy Kavalerowicz (1977) and “The Swing of State” by Ryszard Filipski (1980)). Since 1988, historians associated with the ZSL have succeeded in starting the edition of Wincent Witos's “Works of Selected”.
Already fresh PSL, since 1990, created from the connection of ZSL and PSL Wilanowski – deals with the preservation of the memory of Witos in full-time. His fresh face was to join the authorities of the fresh party. Hanna Chorąszyn (1916-1999), PSL emigration activist.
In the context of these facts, and given that all post-solidarities groups for 30 years effectively blocked the deletion of the Brest judgement on Wincenty Witos, the effort to challenge the current PSL's right to a relation with Wincenty Witos is ridiculous.
Jan Engelgard
Pictured: Wincenti Witos' government (May 1926)
